**1.7. Management considerations**

Nowadays, fur seals are an important nontraditional exportation item: between 60 and 80 living young fur seals are captured annually on Lobos Island and exported to aquaria and theme parks all over the world. The principal objective of these parks is to educate people about environmental issues and about the conservation of aquatic and marine resources and ecosystems. Although live sea lions had been sold by the Uruguayan Government since 1980, the exportation of living specimens of this Otariid was suspended in 2006 by DINARA-MGAP due to decreasing population numbers. Captures of animals are held in Lobos Island from mid March to mid November. This special period was defined in order to avoid disturbances and to be respectful of parturition, breeding and mating periods of the two Otariid species present in the island (Ponce de León, 2000; Ponce de León & Pin, 2006).

158 New Approaches to the Study of Marine Mammals

colony (56ºW - 55Wº) (Riet et al., 2011).

**1.6. Future exploitation for tourism** 

**1.7. Management considerations** 

Ponce de León.

ecosystems.

(Fig. 5) from sea lions that learned to exploit this energy reservoir (Ponce de León & Pin, 2006). Recent reports show that during the early lactation period, foraging home ranges of sea lion females overlapped with fishing effort areas of coastal bottom trawl fisheries (15%) and artisanal fisheries (>1%). For both fisheries the resource overlap per fisheries impact index identified the "hotspots" which are distributed along the coast, west of the breeding

**Figure 5.** Artisan fishery capture of *Mylobatis* spp. The opened abdominal areas of the sharks are seen, from where sea lions have taken highly nutritive and energy rich livers and pancreas. Photograph: A.

South American fur seals and South American sea lions could represent an important tourism attraction. Since the seals are only a few meters away from visitors on Lobos Island and Polonio's Cape, seal watching in both of these popular natural areas could be exploited for tourism activities (Ponce de León & Pin, 2000, 2006; Ponce de León & Barreiro 2010). This type of exploitation should be regulated by serious and responsible Government rules in order to assure sustainable coastal management of environmental resources. New employment opportunities for local people in the Departments of Maldonado and Rocha would be created. This kind of offer would also contribute to public awareness-raising programs for conservation of these charismatic species and for conservation of aquatic

Nowadays, fur seals are an important nontraditional exportation item: between 60 and 80 living young fur seals are captured annually on Lobos Island and exported to aquaria and As far as research is concerned, DINARA maintains the old seal factory plant on Lobos Island, using parts of the buildings for providing accommodation to researchers who are developing studies in both species. Through the development of various research projects, the Government institution DINARA, students and graduates of the University of Uruguay (Universidad de la República) as well as from foreign countries, are gathering and collecting data to increase knowledge about the population dynamics of both species, which will also help in developing appropriate rules and guidelines for their management, and ensuring the conservation of Uruguayan natural resources.
